Aamir Khan on why Thugs of Hindostan is a spectacle never seen before

Our film is not a historical film about thugs belonging to some period or based on a book as has been reported. Thugs of Hindostan is entirely fiction. It’s more like a Manmohan Desai film of the ‘70s. It’s not even a patriotic film. The freedom that is being talked about in the film is about a fictitious kingdom in which the characters dwell.

This is one of the toughest roles of my career so far. The character of Firangi Malla appeared so creatively attractive that I just had to play it. It’s a well-written part and Viktor (Vijay Krishna Acharya) has written some beautiful lines. I had to walk on a thin line as Firangi is a character, who’s extremely unreliable. But when he talks to you, he wins your trust. You end up trusting him. And then at some point, he will stab you in the back. So, while winning your trust I had to appear sincere and make you believe in me. At the same time, the character is also playing to the galleries. If I tilted a little too much to play to the galleries, then the audience would not trust me, they would see through me. And if I were to be too real, then I won’t be enjoyable. So, I had to keep the balance.

I’ve never seen a character in Hindi cinema, which is so unlike a hero. There will be times in the film (I’m hoping), where you will wonder, ‘How did he do this yaar. Aise kaise kar sakta hai koi aadmi?’ He’s not a good guy. He’s not a guy you would want around as a friend. You’d rather watch him from far. He’s not even a sweet rascal, he’s dangerous. It’ll be challenging for the audience. There will be times when they will not like me. He’s an unusual hero. I haven’t seen a hero like that. Comparison with Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean)? Well, intrinsically, they both are similar characters. Dono badmash hai. But I hope when you see Firangi, you’ll forget Jack Sparrow. I don’t think Viktor wrote Firangi based on Jack Sparrow.

“My nose ring brings namak and tezi to my character”

Avan (Contractor, hairstylist) picked the right hairstyle for me. At that point, I had short hair as I was doing Dangal. She showed me some references. Viktor and I liked the one with curly hair. She asked me to grow my hair so that she could perm it later. And guess what, my hair grew curly. I’ve never had curly hair. It was a mystery and I was shocked.

The nose ring I wear in the film is inspired by a classmate from my school. He was from Sindh. I was fascinated on seeing him wear a nose ring. That had stuck in my head. I thought a nose stud for Firangi would be apt. It brings a certain namak and tezi to him. I remembered the nose ring quite well. It had small rubies and emeralds. So, I drew it out for the designers.

“I was nervous working with Amitabh Bachchan”

I was excited about working with Mr Bachchan but I was also nervous. Would I be able to perform properly? The first shot was where we circle each other and I salute him. I was quite nervous in the first shot but then it became alright. I grew comfortable with him. Amitji is a warm and generous person. He makes you comfortable and he’s easy to work with. He’s also got a dry sense of humour. So, you don’t know whether he’s joking or serious. I often wondered whether I should laugh at some things or not. What if I laugh and it’s not meant to be a joke? Or what if he has cracked a joke and I don’t laugh? I kept wondering all the time. I’m overawed by him. But he’s extremely warm. So, I take a lot of liberties with him. He’s too well-behaved to ever intimidate anyone. I was constantly discussing my favourite scenes of him, with him.

“I was anxious about smoking in front of Amitji”

I’ve been a smoker. Now I’ve switched to pipes. But I was anxious about smoking in front of Amitji. So, I went to meet Shah Rukh and asked him if he smoked in front of Amitji. He said he did it and it was not a problem. I asked if he had ever asked his permission. He said he’d never asked him but Amitji had never stopped him either. I said what if I smoked in front of him and he looks at me? I’d feel nervous. (Laughs) So he suggested, start from afar. Then gradually decrease the distance.

This conversation of ours was narrated to Amitji by a common friend, who was present that day. Then one day in Malta, when Amitji and I were walking to a theatre to watch a film, he told me, “I heard you had gone to meet Shah Rukh and asked him how to smoke in front of me?” He was most amused. He then said, “I’ve no problem but it’s not good for your health.”

“I feel proud of the girls”

Katrina Kaif is a dream to work with, extremely wonderful. And she dances so well. I was zapped. Prabhudeva was choreographing some tough moves for the Suraiya song. When I saw the rehearsals, I was like yeh toh gayi! I thought it would be impossible for her to ace Prabhudeva’s choreography. (Smiles) But Katrina is an alien. She got it.

Fatima (Sana Sheikh) has done well. She has some tough action scenes in the film. She’s hard working. I’m so happy for her and Sanya (Malhotra). I hope Fatty does well in life and so does Zaira (Wasim). I feel proud seeing these girls do so well. No, I don’t feel like a daddy, though I wish they treated me like one. They treat me with utmost disrespect.

“Thugs of Hindostan will be worth their money”

This is my first Diwali release in 22 years after Raja Hindustani. I can understand why the ticket rates would have gone higher for Thugs Of Hindostan. It’s an expensive film. Secondly, I don’t think Indian audiences have seen a spectacle like that. It’ll be worth their money. Personally, I’m always for having the ticket rates cheaper. I believe we should have more economy theatres so that no matter what financial bracket you come from, you should be able to watch the film in a theatre. I hope that happens. As an actor, I want more and more people to see and enjoy my work.